FACEBOOK AS AN ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: THE POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS

Online social interaction has become inseparable part of modern life especially for the digital native. Language educators should not overlook the trend of computer-mediated-communication becoming an important way in which young people use their language - whether it is in reading, listening, speaking or writing/typing. Facebook as the most popular social networking site in the world possesses great potential for education in general and for language learning in specific. This paper firstly discusses the functionalities of Facebook and its potential for facilitating second language learning from theoretical perspectives. Secondly an empirical study and its preliminary results are reported. In the study a Facebook open group was set up for the purpose of learning Chinese as a second language. This group was managed by five native Chinese speakers and recruited members who were interested in learning Chinese language. Questionnaire survey was conducted and online interactions were observed and analysed. Data shows that this Facebook group is successful in increasing participants’ frequency of using Chinese, helping them solving language problems, and enhancing their motivation for learning. Members’ overall satisfaction with this Facebook learning group was very high. Limitations of this study and the implications for future practice are also included.